Without marketing your business could stagnate, or even worse, close.  Identifying and correcting some basic marketing mistakes will help you to promote and grow your business.

Here are my Top Ten Marketing Mistakes

1.     Your message is too general.  While some of you may think that EVERYONE could use your product or service, if you take a step back, you’ll probably notice some common thread to many of the clients you currently serve.  Maybe they’re in the same industry, or have a similar problem you’re able to solve.  Whatever it is, establishing a target market will help you focus your message on those most likely to respond favorably.

2.     Using only one medium.  If you’re only marketing on the Internet, you may be missing an entire segment of prospect.  Consider all your marketing options and mix it up to see if you get better results.

3.     Changing something that IS working.  Sometimes we get bored with our marketing and decide it’s just time for a change.  If you have something that is yielding good returns, don’t change it – instead add something new.

4.     Being  inconsistent.  Nothing says unreliable faster than sending out a ‘monthly’ newsletter in January and then not publishing the next issue until May.  Be prepared and plan to be consistent with your marketing.  Don’t set yourself up to fail.

5.     Spammy message.  Don’t come across like a snake oil salesman, make sure your message speaks to your prospect’s pain, but don’t overdo it.

6.     Your message isn’t clear.  Always test it out on current clients, peers, or family/friends to be sure it’s not confusing or misses the point you’re trying to make.

7.     Untimely message.  If you’re looking to build some business during the holiday season, make sure you’re giving prospects enough time to respond.  Don’t release your holiday special two weeks before the holiday, start building momentum at least two months in advance.

8.     No call to action.  If you’re not giving the prospect a reason to contact you, you’re missing the mark.  Create a sense of urgency with a deadline, or something extra if they respond by this date; anything that engages them and asks them to do something more.

9.     Not marketing to your current clients.  We sometimes forget that our current clients may not know about new services or products we have available, or, perhaps they have someone to refer.  Don’t leave them out of your regular marketing efforts.

10.  Not managing/collecting results.  How can you know if something you’re using is yielding a return on investment?  You need to ask every single prospect how they found you; or build in something in your call to action that will tell you exactly how you connected.  Keep track on a simple spreadsheet and check in periodically to get the biggest ROI for your marketing dollars.

So how many of my ten mistakes resonated with you?  Two, four, none?  Take steps now to correct these mistakes and you’ll start seeing more, better qualified, leads, connecting to your business.

Jeannine Clontz, owner of Accurate Business Services, a VA practice, is an author, writer, speaker and VA Business Coach specializing in providing professional business coaching to established and start-up virtual assistants (VA’s).  For her FREE audio CD “What’s Holding Back my Business Success?” or a 2-month trial in her group coaching program visit:  http://www.VAbizcoach.com; or contact her at: coach@VAbizcoach.com.

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This entry was posted on Monday, July 13th, 2009 at 8:56 am and is filed under Business Coach, Business Coaching, business growth, Business owner, Business Start up, Business Tips, Entrepreneur, growing a business, Growing your business, Marketing Plans, Marketing Support, Marketing Tips, Marketing Your Business, Starting a business, VA, VA Classes, VA Coach, VA Coaching, VA Training, Virtual Assistance, Virtual Assistant, Virtual Assistant Classes, Virtual Assistant Training. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.